Aug 03 2006
Digimap Google Earth
The Google Earth layer for Guernsey that I created has finally been updated a bit. This update just adds a couple of extra images and straightens up a couple of the existing ones. I’ve also added a new layer that contains a network link to the layer, if you use this new network link you will always get the latest version of the Guernsey layer as I update it.
I’ve been meaning to blog about Google Earth, Guernsey and Digimap for a couple of weeks now - yes I have seen you Digimap guys visiting my site! What I wanted to blog about was a mysterious meeting I had at the Digimap offices. A while back I was contacted (via a third party) by Digimap and was asked if you want to go for a meeting with them. No information was given as to what the meeting was about so, like the curious person I am, I went along.
Not knowing whether I was going to get a rollicking for using thier images, a job offer (for my great work on the Google Earth layer ;)) or some other reason I was, understandably, rather aprehensive. In the end it turn out to be them wanting to get to know the person behind the Google Earth layer and also a bit of a PR excercise… if I’m writing about Digimap they want to make sure that I know that they’re the good guys.
A couple of interesting points did come up in the meeting however:
- Digimap is (I think) a subsidiary of the States of Guernsey but has to be completely self funding, therefore they need to sell the data in order to cover the cost of collection the data - no open source mapping in Guernsey using Digimap data then!
- Digimap has contacted Google and Navteq offering Guernsey data but both turned down the offer saying they had sufficient coverage of Guernsey to not need new data.
- Google Earth is soon going to have 60cm (IIRC) images of Guernsey - lets hope half the island isn’t going to be covered by cloud again!
- Digimap try to do as much imagineering as possible - again this si contrained by the need to be self-funding.
- Digimap will continue to monitor this blog for new ideas for them to try.
- I can continue with the Google Earth layer using their images.
- If I was I can host their images stitched together on my site for better alignment in Google Earth (I have written conscent).
- If I wish they will try to provide better images for me to host for my Google Earth layer.
That is very cool!! Can you do one of my houses next?? Pleeaase??
I’m sure that should be possible. As far as I can tell your house is North of the Digimap offices so I’ve got something to orientate the images from… I think this may require me hosting stitched images though.
[...] Whilst most people playing with Google Earth in Guernsey will be anoyed by this lack of clear images, I believe I have just cause to be more disappointed than most. This is because I feel I have been lied to. Back in July (I think) I had a meeting with a couple of guys from Digimap Guernsey. One of the points that came up in the meeting was that I wanted to use better images in Google Earth (as Digimap had temporarily provided in the past). I was informed that Digimap had been in contact with Google regarding imaging but that the response from Google was that Google already had higher resolution images for Guernsey. [...]